Chickasaw youth minister arrested

HOUSTON – A concerned mother led to the arrest of a Houlka youth minister Friday, said Jim Myers, chief deputy with the Chickasaw Sheriff's Department.

Larry Bigham, 30, of Pontotoc was taken in for questioning Oct. 15 and three days later was formally charged with the molestation of a 16-year-old girl, Meyers said. Bigham was the youth minister at Houlka Baptist Church but had resigned and was working full-time with the Houlka Police Department.

“This girl's mom started checking e-mails after she got suspicious,” Meyers said. “She found some e-mails and reported them to us.”

The girl's computer and Bigham's have been sent to the Cyber Crime Lab in Jackson for analysis, Meyers said.